Randy LoBasso

As readers of this column know, summer 2017 has been a weird time for bicyclist-motorist relations in Philadelphia—especially in South Philadelphia, where a long-planned bikeway is slowly being rolled out by the city.
Some have reacted with internet complaints and arguments. But South...

Last week, the city of Philadelphia opened a new parking-protected bike lane along the north side of Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia. It’s 11 blocks long and is part of a much larger goal the city has for safer streets and zero traffic deaths –including 30 miles of...

Essentially, after a chaotic public meeting in July, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson rejected plans for a West Center City safety improvement pilot project. The reason? "Near neighbor" concerns. Essentially, it was decided most people in the vicinity of Lombard Street were worried enough...

Like Christmas and the Fox News-described “War on” it, Bikelash season comes along but once a year. Unlike the War on Christmas, Bikelash is more of a warm weather tradition, kicked up not by Christian tradition but by the potential for change.
This year in Philadelphia, Bikelash has...

You may be surprised to hear that the Jersey Shore is quickly becoming one of the premier spots in our region to ride your bike, either on a boardwalk or trail for fun, or on the street for transportation. On my recent trip to Avalon, New Jersey, I was somewhat shocked to find as many people in...

Not too long ago, I was riding my bicycle near the corner of 9th and Carpenter behind a motor vehicle, which was behind another motor vehicle, which was behind a bus. No one was moving very fast, as is often the case on South Philadelphia’s narrow streets.
But that didn’t matter to the...

Talk to any person who rides a bicycle in Center City, Philadelphia, and you’re bound to get a common complaint: the buffered bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets have deteriorated. Badly.
Once hailed as Philadelphia’s premier bikeway, a vital spine connecting the Delaware River...

Readers of this column know the basis of what I write pertains to street safety for all road users.
Or so I thought.
After my last column, I got an email from someone — I’m going to call him Jody — claiming I don’t consider the rights of pedestrians.
“Randy ...

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed Pennsylvania’s “safe passing” law in 2012, but you wouldn't necessarily know it. The law, which requires people driving motor vehicles to give 4 feet when passing people on bikes, has yielded little more than anger from those who are...

Governments often get chastised for throwing money at problems. Which can be reasonable, especially when there’s no discernible plan behind the money.
But sometimes, throwing money at the problem is the only way to solve it. Money can be the great equalizer, and Philly’s streets have...

Stand on a street corner — any street corner — and watch people driving their cars. You’ll probably notice something: A good portion of people are using their phones. And they’re not talking on them; their heads are tilted downward, off the road, using their smart phones....

Perhaps the most interesting news to come out of this year’s Vision Zero Philadelphia Conference in March was the city’s Bike/Ped Coordinator Jeannette Brugger announcing a protected bike lane coming to 11 blocks of West Chestnut Street.
This is a project the Bicycle Coalition has been...

Federal transportation funding is important for Philadelphia’s transit, traffic control and signals, pavement resurfacing, safe routes to school and bicycle/pedestrian facilities and, for the city and state’s tourism.But the most recent federal budget “blueprint” proposal from the president would...

Philadelphia released its Vision Zero Draft Action Plan last week, making several recommendations for a safer city via traffic calming tools, pedestrian-oriented projects, and better bike lanes.That’s good! But the hard part is still to come: Convincing city dwellers the status quo is not OK, and...

Philadelphia’s third Vision Zero Conference is happening on Wednesday and it’s set to be the most diverse set of speakers and organizations the city has seen make the case, and talk best practices, for safer streets.Organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia — an early proponent of...

The Pennsylvania StateSenate overwhelmingly approved a bill last week that would withhold state grant money from so-called “Sanctuary Cities.” It’s a somewhat unprecedented—but totally predictable —move from a state legislature that’s become openly hostile to its own economic and cultural hubs in...

Bike-share systems in places like New York and Philadelphia are thriving, but a crisis hit—and then sunk—Seattle’s system this month. The Emerald City’s bike-share system is dead. It’s probably got a lot to do with helmet laws. And if we expect Philadelphia’s system to continue expanding, it’s...

2016 is over, but its place as the worst year in recent history has become one of those viral internet memes. Some beloved celebrities died, the global refugee crisis hit a boiling point (and became a horrible point of contention in the West), and American and Russian internet trolls teamed up to...

There were no explosives at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital last Tuesday night, but at least one person there for the monthly Washington West Civic Association meeting was on watch.A resident of the Washington West neighborhood in Center City, he and dozens of others were on hand to hear from...

It’s December. The temperature is dropping. And for cyclists, that means it’s time for winter biking tips.If, like me, you commute by bicycle all year—saving money, being healthy, and getting to and from your destination without circling the block looking for parking (which actually makes up 30...